I'll Never give up
by allie2696
Summary: Korra goes missing because of Tarrlok and its up to Mako. Mako is figuring out his feelings about not only her but about this entire situation while dealing with depressing news/lies he learns about her. Korra learns Tarrlok's secret from a familiar person. Mako fights for Korra's safety while she fights to keep her life. AU now, i guess. makorra.
1. Chapter 1

The room was dark, no light got through the metal walls. He sat beside the walls as the cool metal sent shivers down his spine. Mako had lit a small flame with his hands to see that in a room full of many innocent people, he was the only one awake at this hour. People were asleep all around him. Bolin was curled up and asleep in the corner, snoring away. Asami was laying down in front of him with her face absent from his view. He couldn't sleep. Even after everything that had happened on that night, only one thing occupied his mind, Korra. She had been on his mind for days. Usually he was just thinking about the way she smiled or how fun-loving she was, but tonight he thought something else of her. He was worried; we wondered if she was safe. His mind was corrupted with ways that she could have been hurt, and he hated himself for even thinking that. He couldn't handle losing her, no matter what she was to him. He hadn't seen her since he was rounded up and if he knew anything about her she wouldn't give up without a fight to get them back. He wanted to be beside her, fighting with her, keeping her safe. He consoled himself with believing that she's the Avatar, she can handle herself, and she's safe. However, no matter how hard he tried to tell himself this he still had this feeling in his stomach that she was in trouble.

Asami moved. She turned her body so her head was facing Mako and sat up. Mako had thought she was asleep. Her face was sticky from the dried up tears that fell from her face. She looked at Mako, her expression was stern. Mako looked back at the silent girl. After moments of soundless starring, Asami broke the silence.

"Do you feel the same way about her?" She said in a hushed tone

"What?" Mako answered in confusion.

"Korra likes you; do you feel the same way about her?"

"Asami, I'm with you. I'm your boyfriend."

"That doesn't matter. Do you like her?" she snapped.

"She isn't my girlfriend, you are. I like you." He said defensively.

"A person doesn't have to be your girlfriend for you to like them. I just want a straight answer. Mako, do you like Korra? I just want to confirm or deny what I already know, because I can see it in your eyes. I know you like her by the way you look at her when she turns away, by the way you are caught up in a dream world when she is around you recently, by the way you try to protect her by putting your safety first, and now that I think about it you got jealous when Bolin asked her out a couple weeks ago. I don't know how I didn't see it before. it is so blatantly obvious. Just admit it. You like Korra."

"I- we are just good friends." He said guilty. He knew everything she said was true but he didn't have the strength to tell her.

"Mako, I want you to tell me straight in the eye that you do not like her and I will drop this. I won't bring it up again. If you can tell me with a straight face that you do not like Korra I will believe you. I trust you." Mako dropped his head in guilt. He didn't want to lie to Asami but he couldn't tell her what his feelings were, he didn't even know them for sure yet. "That's what I thought." She said in disappointment as she turned around and laid back down to her previous position.

The conversation was over for Asami. She got the information that she needed and she got the truth. It was all out in the open now. Asami knew Mako's true feelings. She figured out how he felt about Korra, and he felt like shit about that. He felt guilty that Asami found out about him and Korra they way she did. Mako didn't even fully understand how he felt about Korra. Yes, he liked Korra but he also liked Asami. Asami wanted nothing to do with Mako now and he knew that. She was done with him.

"Well played, Mako" He said to himself under his breath. The fire in his hands went out. He closed his eyes and feel into a pit of darkness as he slowly feel asleep. He just wanted this day to be over.

* * *

Mako woke up early. He had sensed the sun rise above the horizon. They were going to be in this jail cell for a second day. Without his ability as a firebender to sense the sun he would have lost all of his sense of time. Bolin and Asami awoke shortly after him. Asami was cold towards Mako. Asami didn't even say a word to Mako. Bolin noticed. The guards threw old rotten pieces of fruit in their cell for breakfast. They each grabbed one piece of fruit and ate in silence. Bolin sat next to Mako. Mako could see that the light in Bolin's eyes have died down. He could see that Bolin was scared.

"Hey, Mako, how long do you think we are going to be in here?"

"I- um, I don't know." He replied.

"Do you think Korra is alright? She said she would come and get us. Where could she be?"

Mako didn't want to tell his brother what he really thought. He didn't want to tell Bolin that he was worried for Korra, especially because he wasn't even sure himself. He wanted to believe that she was fine, but there was something in him telling him differently. "I don't know where she is Bolin, but I'm guessing she is fine and is coming to get us anytime now." He faked a smile and looked at his brother.

Asami sat on the other side of the room away from the brothers. Bolin looked at her and noticed she looked heartbroken. "Hey is everything with you and Asami ok?" He asked.

"I really don't know." Mako tilted his head down in sorrow.

"Why, did you guys have a fight or something?"

"No we didn't but she um." He hesitated. "She found out my feelings for Korra."

"How did she find out? Did you tell her about the kiss or something?"

"I don't know how she found out. She just figured it out. I guess maybe she found out Korra liked me and then put two and two together."

"That's rough, buddy." He paused. "Does that mean you two are broken up? Or are you two still together?"

"I don't even know. We never talked about that. She never said she wanted to end things but she's not talking to me and she knows I like someone else, so I don't know."

"Eh things will work out on their own, you just have to wait I guess."

"Thanks, Bo." He lifted his head and gave him a half smile.


	2. Chapter 2

It was around midday. Bolin walked around the room, trying to find something to entertain him. He missed having Pabu in his arms. Asami was across the room talking to a middle aged non-bending woman. Mako stood in his previous position, sitting down against the wall. Out of the blue a rumbling noise started to grow louder and louder. Mako stood up in fright and the rest of the room froze in their positions. The noise stopped for a moment, the room was tense, and then it started up again. The rumbling noise grew into a ripping noise. One woman cried out in fear. Suddenly the metal wall that Mako was previously leaning on ripped apart and a hand showed through the hole. That same hand ripped the rest of the wall apart making the hole big enough for a person to walk through. Lin Beifong and Tenzin appeared on the opposite side of the wall. Mako, Bolin and Asami let out a breath of relief. The two walked through the hole into the cell.

"Why did my mother have to make these walls so dam thick?" Lin mumbled to herself in anger.

"Tenzin, Chief Beifong what are you doing here?" Mako said in delight. He looked to the hole to see if anyone else would come through. No one did. His spirits dropped. "Where is Korra?" he said confused. Asami and Bolin walked up beside him also confused. The rest of the prisoners relaxed now knowing that these people wouldn't hurt them.

"That's why we are here." Tenzin announced. "We need your help. Korra was kidnapped."

The three gasped in horror. "By who? How do you know?" Asami asked.

"By that go for nothing Tarrlok. Korra was gone this morning and I didn't think anything of it until I went to the council meeting this morning to see city hall and his office in ruins. And Tarrlok didn't show up to the meeting this morning. She must have snuck there in the middle of the night to fight him so she could set you three free, but in the end he captured her and took her away." Tenzin answered.

Mako felt guilty, he felt like this was his entire fault. If they had never gotten arrested then she wouldn't need to have to save them, and she wouldn't be in danger.

"But why would he kidnap her if all she was trying to do was get us out of jail?" Bolin asked.

"Because she was in his way." Lin Replied.

"We need to go find her." Mako stated.

"Well, then come on." She gestured to them as she started to walk out the hole.

They followed, except for Asami. "Wait, what about everyone else? These people were wrongfully arrested because they were simply non benders. They have to be free too." Asami yelled out to them.

Lin continued to walk and let out a breath. "Fine, they can follow us out of here but I will not promise their safety after they make it out of the prison. They could be arrested again for evading arrest. I can't stop that. I don't have that power anymore."

Asami's expression lit up as she followed the group. The non benders followed.

* * *

They had all piled into Lin's Sato mobile. The non benders dispersed and went home. They were patrolling the city for possible places Korra could be. They were out for hours and no sign of her. It was around midnight. Lin was too tired to drive so Asami took the wheel. They were driving and passed by the park. Bolin was leaning out the window when he saw it.

"Asami, pull over!" He yelled to her. When Asami stopped the Sato mobile and Bolin rushed out. The others followed. He ran into the park and found Naga drinking water out of the pond. Naga was covered in dirt and her hair was all messed up. She noticed Bolin and ran over to lick him. "Guys, I found Naga!" He said with a smile, laughing while the polar bear dog licked the side of his head. Asami walked up to hug the polar bear dog.

"This definitely proves Korra was kidnapped. She would have never left Naga alone roaming the streets." Mako exclaimed.

"Yes, but this still doesn't prove where Korra is." Lin retorted.

"It's getting pretty late. I say we reconvene this search for first thing tomorrow morning. Someone needs to bring home Naga back to the island." Tenzin stated.

"I will." Mako replied. Tenzin nodded.

They went back into Lin's Sato mobile and left Mako and Naga at the park. Mako petted Naga's head and she licked his. "I missed you." He said to the polar bear dog, wishing his statement was to the girl he longed for most. He hopped on to Naga's back and started to go back to the island. He didn't want to go back though. The sight of the island would only remind him more of Korra. It would remind him of the way she selflessly offered them to stay with her there. It reminded him of airbending and the reason she was here in the first place. He didn't want to be reminded of her knowing that she was in danger and not by his side. He looked up at the sky and saw the moon. It was small, almost gone, the shape of a small crescent. By tomorrow night the light of the moon would be gone. He looked up and wondered where she could be. She could be anywhere in the world but he hoped that she was looking up at that same moon, calling out to him to find her. He realized that no matter how long it took or how far he had to travel he would not give up his search for her until he found her and she was safe. He wouldn't give up on her without a fight. "Don't worry, Korra, I'll find you. I'll never give up on you." He called out to the moon as he made his way back to the island. When he got back he went directly asleep only to make it seem like tomorrow would come faster.


	3. Chapter 3

"You can't do this, Tarrlok. People will notice I am gone and go looking for me. They will find out you kidnapped me and you will be arrested!" Korra yelled out through the metal bars of her cell to Tarrlok.

He turned around outside her cell. "Oh, I have nothing to worry about. Yes, people will go looking for you but they will never find you and believe you are dead. Once they believe that, they will stop looking for you and start looking for the new avatar. Besides being the avatar, you are nothing to them, you are replaceable." He smirked. "And plus, the people of Republic City will believe almost any lie you tell them. You just have to know how to say it. But I won't have to lie too much, especially not about the fate of the avatar. That will be truth in the short future." He said as he turned around and left the room.

Korra's eyes widened in shock. She was alone now. No one was there. No one even knew that she was gone. He mind was racing. She couldn't stop thinking how Mako, Bolin and Asami were all still locked up in jail and how she failed to keep them safe. She would never see any of her friends again, she would never see the airbending family again, she would never see her parents again, she would never see Naga again, and she would never see Mako again. The thought that she had failed those close to her and failed Republic City hurt her. Both benders and non benders were being hurt, all because she had failed as the avatar. She laid down on the cold, damp floor and started to cry. She couldn't do this on her own, she didn't have anyone.

She then realized that she did have someone, well, more than just one someone. She had remembered that Tenzin had said that she could call on to her past lives for help, but how? She sat up and wiped her tears away from her face. She crossed her legs and closed her eyes. She cleared her mind. She cleared away all her worries. Her mind was clear. She channeled all of her energy to connecting to her past lives. Suddenly, her eyes opened with a burst of white light. They gleamed for a moment until she regained consciousness. She opened her eyes and saw a man made up of a blue light sitting in front of her.

"Aang?"she asked.

The man smiled. "Yes, it is me, Aang. It is a please to _finally_ meet you, Korra."

"Aang, I've failed as an avatar. I'm stuck here and there is no way for me to get out, trust me I've tried, and even if I do get out he will just bloodbend me back in here. I've let everyone in Republic City down. I am no you." She let down her head in shame.

"Korra, no you aren't me. You are something much more. You are Avatar Korra. You are the greatest Avatar that you can be and you are great. Republic City, no, the world is lucky to have such a great avatar like you."

"But you have done such great things in your lifetime. You ended an entire war at the age of twelve. I can't even defeat a politician and I can't even airbend."

"That isn't your fault, Korra. You were beating him before he blood bent you. And to tell you the truth, half the time I had no idea what I was doing when I defeated the fire nation. Things just happened to go my way. And airbending will come to you eventually, and I will help you after we get out of this." He smiled.

"Thank you." She replied. "But how am I suposto get out of this if, he will just bloodbend me back in here. I don't know how he does it, bloodbend with no full moon."

"I tried to tell you that he was a bloodbender. I can teach you his methods."

"How? I can't even bloodbend with a full moon. Master Katara refused to teach it to me how to bloodbend, she just taught me what it was. She said it was too horrific."

"I expected that. Katara hates bloodbending always had, but especially after what happened with Yakone. I can teach you how to bloodbend and how to do it without the full moon. Once you know how, you can counter attack him and defeat him. Just promise me you will only use this when you direly need it, and don't tell Katara. She would be mad me." He laughed.

She laughed too. "I promise, _Sifu_ Aang."

Aang had given her all the knowledge he knew about bloodbending and all the knowledge she needed. He taught her Tarrlok's secret to bloodbending without the full moon and she was able to harness those abilities. She would be able to counter attack any blow Tarrlok tries to hit her with. Once she was out of the cell she could successfully escape. Now her only problem was actually getting out of the cell.

Before Aang's spirit dissipated back into Korra's body, he told her one last thing. "Don't worry, you will be fine. You will see all of you friends again, especially Mako. Things will work out for the better for you. You just have to be patient. Good things will come."

Aang's words made an impact in Korra's mind. What were those good things and why did she have to be patient? Korra grew tired, she had an eventful day. She closed her eyes and fell asleep on the cold floor.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning they went to city hall to find possible clues of where she could be. They broke into Tarrlok's office and raided his desk. Rocks and were thrown everywhere and pieces of furniture were charred. Asami kept watch in the doorway for anyone who was coming. They looked through all of his drawers and files and found nothing. Bolin was roaming around the room until he spotted a piece of paper concealed under a pile of rocks. He bent the rocks away to get the paper and read it.

"OH OH OH!" He said in excitement. "Guys, you should look at this!" He handed the paper to Lin. She thoroughly read the paper.

"What is it?" Mako asked.

"It's the plans for a metal underground building in the mountains just outside of the city." She growled. "That ass used _my_ metal bending police force to build a secret base for him"

"Let me see that" Tenzin said. He took the paper and read it. "And with government money too." He said angrily.

"So Korra is there?" Mako asked.

"It seems like it. The plans for this were started long enough for it to be done now. We should look for her there."

Asami ran through the door. She was breathing fast and her face was as white as a ghost. "Guys, did you find anything yet?" She yelled.

"Yeah. We were just about to get you. Why are you panting?" Bolin asked.

"Good because Tarrlok is here!"

"What?" they all said in unison.

"Tarrlok, the guy who kidnapped Korra, is here in the building. I saw him pass by the hallway. I think he is going into the city council room. He doesn't know we are here. We have to go now."

They were silent and frozen in their spots until Tenzin spoke up. "No. No I will not let Tarrlok get away with this. I have let him get away with too much over these past few years. This has to stop and it ends today." He turned around out the hole in the wall that Korra created and airbended down to the city council room. The others ran out the door and down the hall to meet up with him. Tenzin caught Tarrlok's eye. Tarrlok smirked. "Tarrlok!" Tenzin yelled. "What did you do to her?" He ran over to the politician.

"What are you talking about, Tenzin." Tarrlok said smugly.

"Oh you very dam well know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about Korra. Where did you take her? And why do you have a secret base hidden in the mountains? Is that where she is?" Tenzin's face grew redder and redder with every word he said. His anger now fully consumed the usual mild tempered man. The others watched, glaring at Tarrlok.

"Oh Tenzin, there is no need to make a fuss about this. Those plans were simply for a new mining facility in the mountains. With the growing need for metal and resources due to the mass amounts of technology we needed to expand our mining exports." He smirked.

"Why wasn't I informed about this? You know what don't answer that, it's not important. The important thing is that you know where Korra is, so tell us or-" He was cut off.

"Or what Tenzin? You'll have me arrested? You and I both know that I hold much more power than you.' Tenzin growled in anger. "But it's a coincidence that you are here. I was just about to head over to you little Air Temple Island to inform you about this very topic, but since you are here you might as well wait for the press conference to find out, with everybody else."

A group of about two dozen reporters rushed in all holding a microphone, camera or a pad and pencil in hand. Tarrlok moved into the middle of the room. The crowd rushed over to him and swarmed around him, leaving the group pushed to the back. Tarrlok stood on a broken bench and began to speak. Reporters were flashing their camera lights every two seconds.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of Republic City I have come here with grave sorrow to tell you all this. As you may or may not be able to see the City Council room and my office is now in ruins. That is because two nights ago Avatar Korra and I were in my office planning the best course of action to keep this city safe when the equalists attacked. Amon and his goons had come in through the windows and attacked the two of us. We retaliated, which is why there is rubble everywhere in this room, your avatar was earthbending at the equalists. We were actually defeating them until one sneaky equalist knocked me out. I was useless to help avatar Korra. She was defeated and we both were taken as captive by Amon. We were tortured in there. We tried to escape last night. I barely made it out alive, but I am sad to say your Avatar didn't have the same fate as mine. To prove that I am not lying, I have her armband that she always wears covered in blood, her blood that was shed due to equalists' blows." He held out the fabric band for the reporters to see. People gasped. "She had risked her life for mine because she knew I would be great for this city and I would keep it safe. But what cost is safety achieved? After one person, maybe two people are killed or after your own avatar, bridge to the spirit world and ours, the mightiest of us all, was slain and killed by those… barbarians. If our own avatar cannot survive this war, what makes you think a normal everyday bender can survive it? They cannot… unless we enact laws to make this city safer for everyone, unless we enact laws to end this war. The only way to achieve peace is to do it through force and drive out those equalists out of our city. Let's finish the job Avatar Korra failed to finish together."

The crowd approved in an uproar of clapping and cheering. Cameras flashed, to get the sight of the all mighty Tarrlok. He took in the glory almost like he believed that his was rightfully his to take. The group stood still, taking in the words they had just heard. They didn't want to believe his words. Tarrlok has lied before and he is capable of doing it again. They knew that, but why did they still not know for sure which side of the story was right.

"So, that's it? She's dead?" Bolin said slowly realizing what he had just said. Asami started to cry.

Those words had crushed Mako. The thought that Korra could be dead killed the very last happiness he had for the world. He didn't know how he felt about Korra but he did know that he was devastated that she was gone. He had failed, he couldn't keep her safe and now she had to pay the ultimate price. He had lost her, she was gone. He couldn't stand being here without her. He lashed out on himself for not trying hard enough and in return lashed out on his friends. "Well then I guess this settles it. Are we done here? Can I go home now? Whatever, I'm going home!" Mako snapped to his friends. He turned around and walked away. As he passed through the doors and he was out of his friends' sight, tears started to fall from the firebender's eyes. He hated this feeling, this feeling of loss. He hadn't felt like this since he has lost his parents all those years ago. Mako's emotions were so strong that he could not fight the urge to let the water fall from his eyes. Mako walked out the door of City Hall and down the street, hopelessly wishing he were dreaming.


	5. Chapter 5

A day had passed. Mako locked himself in his room and sulked. He laid on his bed facing the wall and held on to his pillow, wishing he were holding on to Korra's body. He never even got to say goodbye and that hurt him the most out of all. His hair was a mess and his clothes were all raggedy. He held on to his scarf wrapped around his neck. He hoped that it would give him the same warmth and comfort it had usually but this time it hadn't. He heard a knock on his door; he didn't respond. The knock was heard once again, but Mako still hadn't moved from his position on hid bed. The door slammed open and the small fire ferret came running in. it jumped on to Mako and licked his face for comfort, but Mako still continued to stay in his position. Bolin followed after. Mako was facing away from his brother.

"Mako, why aren't you dressed? Korra's memorial service starts in a half an hour."

"Because I'm not going." He said sternly.

"Why? Tenzin and his family went through all of this trouble to plan this even for the entire city to attend and you're not even going. You were her teammate, you were her friend. Wouldn't it be weird that someone who cared for her so much didn't even show up to her own funeral?"

"I'm not going because I am her teammate and friend and I wasn't even there to save her. If I was there she would have had help and she wouldn't have been killed and I wouldn't have to feel this way."

"Why are you blaming yourself? This was not your fault. It wasn't your fault you got sent to jail, it was Tarrlok's fault. He put you in jail."

"I guess you are right, but I am still not going to the funeral. I can't bare being at an event in the name of her death. I am just not emotionally strong enough for that."

"Ok," he sighed. "But if you change your mind I'll be waiting for you." He walked over to Mako's drawer and opened it, showing his nicer clothes, and left the room. Pabu jumped off of Mako and followed the earthbender.

When the door shut Mako let out a bug sigh. He turned his body to his other side facing the rest of the room. He saw the drawer that Bolin had opened. It had his dress shirt and pants in it, nice and neatly folded. He thought about his brother and how this could be affecting him too. How Bolin might need a friend to get through this traumatic event. Mako couldn't be the only one hurt. He reluctantly sat up on his bed. He cupped his hands on his head and stood there for a minute and thought about what he wanted to do. He got up and walked to the drawer. He picked up the clothes in his hands and starred at them. The last time he had worn these he was happier, and he had Korra. He pondered it for a moment and then started to get dressed.

* * *

Mako made his way down to the courtyard where to memorial was taking place. All over the island he had seen people that he had never before. They were both coming and going back to the city. Most were wearing black. As he got closer to the courtyard he had noticed a long line leading into the courtyard far from its entrance. Mako snuck into the back way to meet his friends. Asami and Pema were crying. Jinora's eyes were watering. Ikki and Meelo had lost her usual upbeat. Bolin comforted Asami as she cried in his arms. Lin was stern as usual, hiding the fact that she would truly miss the hot- headed girl. Tenzin preoccupied himself with things to do, like preparations for the service or household items. He knew if he had a moment to stop and think that he would break down. He had gone through this when his father was dying and now he had to do it again. He had lost yet another important person in his life. Reporters where there trying to get the snoop. Tenzin tried to keep them out but there was just too many so he eventually gave up. Dozens of people were in here at a time maybe hundreds, Mako couldn't tell. Some were crying and some were quiet. There was one thing Mako knew for sure, Korra was loved by Republic City.

Mako walked up to his brother who was standing by the flowers. He put his hand on his brother's shoulder. Bolin looked up to see it was him. Asami looked up, too and half smiled. Mako hoped that it had meant that she had forgiven him and wanted to stay friends. Mako was quiet; he hardly said a word the entire day. He just stood there, next to the flowers and pictures of Korra and watched as the people came and went. Tarrlok never showed up, which confused Mako. If Tarrlok made such a big deal about her death why didn't he pay her his respects?

Mako stayed in the courtyard until everyone else had cleared out. Bolin and Asami tried to convince him to join them for dinner but he declined. The sun was set. The moon would have been gleaming that night if it wasn't a new moon. Everyone was gone, Mako was alone. Mako walked up to the middle of the display. He was surrounded with pictures of the diseased Avatar and flowers given by remorse filled donors. He sat down in front of the display. He looked at the pictures, the way she smiled, what she looked like as a child and her with her parents. She was happy in these photos. All he had wished at that moment was that he could travel through time back to those days and meet her. He wanted to meet the young rambunctious child that lived down in the South Pole. But most off all, he just wanted to see her. He looked slightly to his left and saw the three of them. It was a picture from the newspaper after they had won their semi- finals for probending. They were smiling and happy, before things got so hard. He grabbed the picture and held it in his hand. Things were simpler back then, before the fight with the equalists boiled up into a war. He traced his finger on the picture along the edge of her face as if he were really touching her. At that moment, he then realized that he truly lloved Korra. He wanted her and everything about her. But it was all too late. He regretted not acting upon his feelings for the girl sooner, before he had lost her. His eyes started to tear up until one drop fell down along the side of his cheek. More and more water fell from his eyes. A drop fell from his jaw bone onto the picture, ruining its look and ruining his view of it. He thought of how quickly water could ruin something so great. Fire wasn't the only element that could destroy, contrary to his former beliefs; he realized water also had a strong destroying side.

The wind blew and caused shivers to run up his spine. The wind brought a newspaper, which was left behind by one of the populace here before, in front of him. He picked it up. The front page read in big bold letters "Avatar Korra Dead!" Yet another reminder for Mako that he had lost the girl he loved. In the article there was a quote from Tarrlok from a recent interview. It said "Yes, the loss of Avatar Korra was tragic, but I believe that I should take the avatar's responsibility to the city in my hands until the new avatar is born, grows up and comes to the city." Mako growled in anger. As he read the article Naga walked up behind him and licked his head. From the councilman's words Mako had realized that he was using Korra's death as a ploy to gain power. He thought more about it. He realized that maybe Tenzin was right after all; maybe Tarrlok did kidnap Korra to gain power and take her out of the picture. His eyes widened in realization. He realized Tarrlok had lied all of those times when he said he cared for Korra, felt sad for Korra and most of all, the lies he told about Korra's death. She wasn't dead; Tarrlok did indeed capture her and take her as his captive somewhere in the mountains. He burnt the new paper in his hands and quickly stood up. He petted Naga on her head and jumped onto her back.

"Ok girl, we are going to find Korra now, ok. Go in the direction or the mountain. I need you to track her down ok, Girl." He told the polar bear dog in her ear. He looked up to the sky and the gleaming stars and then he looked back down to the skyline of the mountains. "Korra, we will find you, eventually. I haven't given up yet. Not yet." He whispered to himself as he hoped he was not already too late. He took off on Naga and headed for the mountains.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Sorry i haven't updated in a while. i've been busy this past week with school and other stuff so thanks for waiting._

* * *

The sun was rising over the horizon when he made it to the mountains. He had been awake for almost twenty-four hours. Naga was growing weak, and so was he. They had been out traveling to the mountains all night. As much as he hated to admit it, they both needed sleep; especially since they needed the energy to save Korra. He sat beside a tree on the cold snow. For warmth, he blew out a small burst of fire from his mouth. Naga laid beside him. When his eyes slowly closed the only thing he saw was Korra's face.

A few hours later, he had awoken to a loud boom. His eyes shot open. A storm had started. Lightening was lighting up the sky, while a mixture of snow and rain were falling furiously fast down to the ground. He got up; he had to keep moving to prevent hypothermia. He held on to Naga's collar as they headed further up the mountain.

After an hour of looking he was lost, and he was soaked. Water had seeped through his clothes all the way down to his skin. He could sense that the sun was setting over the horizon. He knew she was out there somewhere; he just needed to find where that place was. As they got higher and higher up the mountain, Naga started to smell something. She started moving faster.

"What is it, girl?" Mako asked. "Is it Korra?"

The polar bear dog barked. A smile on Mako's face grew. He jumped on to Naga's back and they ran off to follow her trail.

It was about a five minute run up the mountain when he saw it. It was a cabin, sitting on a natural platform off the mountain. They walked up to it. Mako jumped off Naga and looked through the window. He saw Tarrlok pass by. Mako winced at the sight and hid with fear. If Tarrlok was there Korra had to be there too. Tarrlok walked out through the door to the back of the cabin and disappeared into the woods. When Tarrlok passed he let out a long breath, told Naga to hide and started to walk again towards the door. He walked through the house quietly when he noticed a strange door. It looked like it had a lock on it. He walked up to it and tried to pick the lock. It wouldn't budge. With the limited time he had, he didn't care if the damage he left was noticeable. He threw a fireball at the door and waited for it to burn down to a crisp. He moved through the hole he had created with the fire and walked down a flight of stairs. He made a creaking noise as he walked down the stairs.

"Tarrlok, you better let me out of this cell or you'll regret it!" a familiar voice said.

"Korra?" Mako asked as he walked into the room. He noticed a smaller room, divided by bars, against the far wall. He saw the silhouette of a girl in the darkness with her head down away from him. "Korra, is that you?"

The girl picked up her head. She turned around to see who the new intruder was. Her eyesight was blurry, she was weak. She crawled closer to the man who was outside her cell. She couldn't make out a face, but she recognized the scarf. With its rich scarlet color she could see it from a mile away. The red scarf meant that it was him, the boy who had caused all these conflicting feelings in her to arise.

"Mako?" She said weak but enthusiastically.

The boy ran up to the cell bars and she got up and reciprocated his actions. He struck his arms through the bars and around her neck. He held her in his grip, hugging her like he would if he were to never feel her touch again. The feeling of her in his arms made him feel whole again. He closed his eyes and rested his head on top of hers. From being with Korra caused Mako to be in complete ecstasy. A tear rolled his face. The reality that Korra was actually alive warmed his heart. He never wanted to let go of her again.

"Korra, I thought you were dead. I was so worried. I missed you so much." Tears started streaming down his face. His grip on her body strengthened.

Korra blushed but lightly started to cry too. "I missed you too."

"I don't ever want to lose you again, not even for a little while. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you to protect you."

"Mako, that wasn't your fault. You were in jail. How could you possibly know I was in danger when you were locked up? And even if you did know, how could you protect me? You were stuck in there." She said reassuringly.

He stopped crying and pulled away and held her at arm's length, looking into her eyes. "I don't just mean protect you from Tarrlok. I'm sorry I wasn't fully there for you to protect you from everything. I realized that I had been blind to your feelings, only worrying about my own. When you faced Amon I wasn't there beside you and when you were scared and alone I wasn't there to consol you. I should have been there for you and I'm sorry."

Korra smiled. "That was so long ago, it's in the past now. But still, you didn't know that I needed someone to be there for me, especially because I didn't believe it myself. We were just starting to be friends. It's okay."

"No matter what though, I still feel guilty that I hadn't spent as much time as I could with you. I realized that having you gone is the worst feeling in the world and I never want to give you up."

She paused. "But what about Asami, your girlfriend?" She asked

"We, um, broke up. She realized my feelings for you were so much stronger then my feelings for her so we ended it."

"Really?" she asked astonished.

"Yes. Korra, I love you. I love you so much more than any other person on this earth and I never want to lose the person I love again. You drive me crazy but that's what I love about you." He smiled.

Mako's hand moved from her shoulder up to her cheek. The color pink evaded her cheeks at the touch of his hand. He moved himself closer to her. They moved closer to the metal bars dividing them. Their lips met in the middle. Mako poured all his feelings of loss and regret into the kiss. The kiss was slow yet passionate. They pulled away, looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

"Took you long enough." Korra giggled.

He laughed back. Suddenly they heard a door close from up stairs and walking around. The smiles on their faces hardened. "Okay, we need to find a way to get you out of here."

They looked around. Korra's eyes caught a small metal thing hanging on the far wall. She squinted to see what it was. "Mako, a key ring, look."

She pointed to the wall. He turned around and ran toward it. He grabbed the key ring and ran back to the cell door. There were a few keys on the ring and it took him a few tries to find the right key. Out of fright of being caught, he started to worry, but he finally chose the right key to free her. He opened the door and she ran out. Out of joy, she jumped into his arms and wrapped herself around him. He smiled at her touch. They pulled away and went in for another kiss. They heard a door open and door steps and pulled away in fright. They looked for the source of the noise. Then they heard slow clapping.

"Aww they two love birds finally got together." He said sarcastically as he walked down the steep stairs to the basement.

"Tarrlok." Mako growled as he positioned himself in front of Korra.

"Too bad I have to break up your little love fest." He smirked.

"Not this time, Tarrlok."Korra yelled as she moved beside Mako.

"What makes you so sure of that, avatar?" he raised his hands as if he were to start bloodbending.

"Try me." She said as she smirked, before he could do anything to her or Mako.


	7. Chapter 7

"Korra, no, you're weak. You can't fight him; he will just bloodbend you. Let's just get out of here." Yelled Mako.

"Yeah, young avatar, listen to your boyfriend. I'll destroy you."

"Mako, don't worry about me. I can take him. The only way out of here is if I fight. And Tarrlok, you better not underestimate me."

"Will see about that." Tarrlok grinned. He raised his arms and started to bloodbend the two.  
The two teenagers were under his control. Mako started to rise up in the air. Anger grew in Korra. She gritted her teeth. She started to move her arms out of Tarrlok's grip. She began moving more and more; she was regaining control. Mako watched her out of the corner of his eye. He was amazed by her power. Korra walked closer and closer to Tarrlok. He continued to try to bloodbend her but she wouldn't conform to his will.

"What? How are you doing this?" questioned Tarrlok.

"You can't bloodbend me."

"How... How is that possible?"

"An old friend taught me your little trick." she raised her hands just as Tarrlok had and tried to bloodbend Tarrlok back.

The two bloodbenders fought it out, both trying to control the other. At moments Korra had control of Tarrlok but the next second he had control of her. They kept going at it until Tarrlok gave up trying to bloodbend her.

"Well, if I can't bloodbend you, then I'll just use your boyfriend against you." He raised up Mako and held him up there. "Did you know, Avatar Korra that one purpose of bloodbending is to crush one's internal organs." he grinned.

Fear grew in Korra. Her eyes widened in fear for what Tarrlok could do. "No, don't touch him!" yelled Korra. She ran up towards Tarrlok throwing fireballs at him. The fireballs that she threw knocked him out of place and out of focus. From losing focus Mako fell out of Tarrlok's grip and fell to the ground. Korra threw more fire blasts at Tarrlok, and he retaliated with blasts of water. Mako regained full consciousness and started to help Korra. The two threw fire blasts in unison at Tarrlok until they cornered him into a corner of the room. Tarrlok's hair was in front of his face and he fell onto the floor.

"You give up now, Tarrlok?" Korra demanded.

"I'll never give up." Tarrlok gritted through his teeth.

He was weak. He raised one hand and took Mako under his control again. He pushed both Korra and Mako back. He stood up and tried to regain his territory. Due to his fatigue, he couldn't keep Mako fully under his control. Mako, then, was able to bend a lightning bolt at Tarrlok. It hit right in front of the man and he lost his focus on Mako. Korra then was able to bloodbend Tarrlok without any trouble. She moved him back and proceeded to knock him out. Korra watched as her captor laid there on the floor in front of her almost lifeless. Her vision turned hazy again and her world around her began to spin. The exhaustion of bloodbending without a full moon hit her hard. She began to feel dizzy and started to fall. As she fell, she felt warm hands catch her and keep her from hitting the ground. Mako picked up the unconscious girl and held her in his arms. He walked up the stairs with her and out of the cabin. He saw Naga there waiting for them. He placed Korra on Naga and sat behind her to keep her on top of Naga. He grabbed the reins on Naga, but before they left he stroked the side of her cheek and whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry, Korra, everything is fine now. We are safe."

Mako let Korra sleep in his arms. He pulled on the reigns and commanded Naga to go. They had a long trip ahead of them before they got back to republic city.


End file.
